This archive report was first published on 9 September 2019.
Published on September 9, 2019, North Rift leaders have urged the government to vet people living in the Mau before evicting them.
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos and MPs Oscar Sudi (Kapseret) and Swarup Mishra (Kesses) spoke out against the evictions, citing concerns for school-going children and the need for fair compensation.
Speaking in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Mr Sudi said some residents had title deeds and did not understand why they were being asked to move.
"If they are evicted, then the country should look into ways of ensuring they are compensated," said Sudi, urging President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene.
Mr Tolgos compared the situation to the Embobut evictions five years ago, where residents were offered Sh410,000 each in compensation.
"What is happening in Mau is the same thing that happened in Embobut forest some years ago. People were removed from the forest after compensation," said Tolgos.
"They were offered Sh410,000 each. We request that as the Government evicts people from Mau it should do it fairly," he added.
Mr Mishra promised to donate land to resettle some of the Mau evictees, backing the decision to evict people from Mau to conserve the water tower.
